Jackets for lambs

[Alistair]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/media/images/42718000/jpg/_42718367_lambs_bbc416.jpg

It was so cute, I had to share. The article is here. (http://news.bbc.co.uk/cbbcnews/hi/newsid_6480000/newsid_6483200/6483293.stm)

[paul]

They are cute, but......

[Gliondrach]

Thanks for the picture, Alistair. They are very sweet and the sight of them brought a smile to my face. It's a pity that, unlike us, there are people who will think the same thing about them in their jackets but who will soon be eating them with jacket potatoes.

One day I hope that there will be sheep and cattle roaming the hills and moors, wild and free. Perhaps specially bred to be more like the wild types that they came from. They will be able to keep the moors and downlands as they are so that forests don't encroach.

[Alistair]

One day I hope that there will be sheep and cattle roaming the hills and moors, wild and free. Perhaps specially bred to be more like the wild types that they came from. They will be able to keep the moors and downlands as they are so that forests don't encroach.

It brings up the question that is often asked "if people stopped eating animals, what would happen to them?"

I think that it would be difficult for a lot of domesticated animals to survive on their own.

In Australia, the sheep would not survive. The horses and camels would however, but these are all introduced and have a powerful impact on the environment; arguably a negative one. There are pigs along the Murray River, carp in the river itself, rabbits creating erosion and goats eating everything they can find and soiling the water so that it is toxic for everyone. Foxes eat pretty much anything smaller than they are, as do the cats, upsetting the balance of insect numbers and pollination.

We have a significant mess over here.

We have been discussing the implications of bird flu here and there is an argument for killing the entire domestic poultry stock.

While this sounds horrendous, it is sobering to note that the entire population of broiler hens is killed every six weeks as a matter of course.

While I understand that there are deeper implications for the sheep that look so cute wearing the jackets, I also won't oppose improvements in animal handling while we continue to put the argument that using animals in this fashion is not right.

[Gliondrach]

Indeed, any improvement is better than nothing.

In this country, before humans infested these islands, the land was largely covered with trees. Man-made open spaces, like the heather moors and grass downlands, are now home to many animal and plant species. Wild sheep and probably cattle could keep them open. Rabbits help as well.

[Oracl]

While I understand that there are deeper implications for the sheep that look so cute wearing the jackets, I also won't oppose improvements in animal handling while we continue to put the argument that using animals in this fashion is not right.
I agree, I guess. :rubchin:

The lambs do look cute but I can't help noticing their tails. You can see the evil rubber rings on two of them. :(

[Alistair]

I didn't notice the rings. *sigh*

I wonder what a fully tailed sheep looks like?

A friend has 7 Sharpei puppies - very very cute.... buuuut.... due to their skin condition, 6 of them have stitches to temporarily hold the skin back so they can see while their body catches up to their hyper-dermal growth.

I feel that it is wrong to breed animals with this kind of genetics, especially when it is for cosmetic appeal. The parent dogs are lovely, albeit having the most remarkable amount of uncontrolled slobber my jeans have ever had to experience...

Click here to see the puppies (http://s38.photobucket.com/albums/e148/veganblue/?action=view&current=Sharpei.flv) - The footage is rendered down for size.

[Gliondrach]

They look a bit like big pugs.

[Alistair]

They are rather odd puppies but they are very friendly and feel like ....well... I don't know how to describe them. The skin is very loose, but surprisingly, they quite like a rub which many puppies don''t seem to enjoy as much - in my experience.

They turn into powerful dogs however, bred by the Chinese for dog fights. :(